How does an actor have onscreen chemistry with himself? I didn't think it was possible. Except Jensen Ackles achieved it, among other things he did so brilliantly here. Jared Padalecki was amazing too, and so was Misha Collins, Robert Benedict, and Kurt Fuller. In fact, this is an episode where everyone stepped up to the plate, making this one of the best episodes SPN has to offer. I thought Eric Kripke's script for the season premier couldn't be better, then Sera Gamble surprised me with hers. Two weeks later Ben Edlund took the reign and blew me away with this installment.

So where do I start? There's not a single scene here that I don't relish. If I list them all, this post would go on forever, and I do want to make this review shortish because, dammit! I want to go back and watch it again instead of writing about it. Thus I'll only focus on what impressed me the most, which turns out unsurprisingly, Dean.

Last week's conclusion left me wondering how long, and in what way it was gonna take Dean to find out about Sam being Lucifer's true vessel. Sam calling Dean at 4:00 in the morning with the news was hardly what I imagined, yet it made the perfect sense. The last time we saw Sam, he chose to speak to Bobby when trouble was brewing. This time Sam being so upfront and open with Dean marked a welcoming change in the younger Winchester. I guess a late night psychic visit from the Devil himself was a rude wake-up call.

I also wondered how Dean was going to react once he found out about the connection between Sam and Lucifer. I imagined he'd be pissed, raging with anger. There might even be fist flying. But this quiet resignation we saw was better fitting actually. Initially, my reaction was exactly like Sam's: "That's all you have to say?" Then it hit me: he wasn't all that surprised. But of course! Him still reeling from being Michael's vessel himself notwithstanding, it's not like Dean wasn't forewarned he might have to kill his brother before. Sam's answer to his destiny is to come out fighting. Kudos to him. He's not going to take it lying down. But Dean was weary. He sounded subdued. In fact the whole time since he checked in that cheap motel, Dean seemed tired. He even said so himself. It looks as if Dean was afraid fate would catch up with the two of them after all. Dean told Sam they might as well pick a different Hemisphere to live, not because he was still mad at his brother or his feeling remained hurt, it was because he couldn't face the prospect of killing Sam. The look on Dean's face as he hung up the call was a giveaway to the pain he felt for telling Sam to stay away.

Fast forward 5 years. The post Apocalyptic setting looks...devastating. One thing that always ticked me with Battlestar Galactica was its nuked planet Caprica looked too pristine. But one can only do so much with a meager TV budget. Luck would have it that Supernatural's production team was able to utilize Watchman's old movie set. Don't know if Jeffrey Dean Morgan had anything to do with it, but one couldn't help noticing the connection.

The dirty and beat-up Impala Dean saw at the entrance of Camp Chitiqua is a foreshadow to how tarnished and broken Dean was in the future. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Lemme first have a moment of indulgence to appreciate the pure aesthetic value of a double dose Dean. Yes layne67 I see your point that there was little physical change to Dean in 5 years. But Dean more or less sported that look since he was in high school! Yeah, yeah, it's the Apocalypse. They have no toilet paper, but they apparently have plenty of hair gels, beers, and gasoline. One never could claim Supernatural faithfully depicts realism, if all those artfully arranged "cheap" motel rooms were any indication. So I'll just do the hand-waving here and chalk them all up to artistic freedom. After all, 2014!Dean is nothing short of gorgeous to stare at. I quite agree with ala_tariel that future Dean looked even hotter if possible. Maybe it was the mannerism, the more decisive way he carried himself, or it was the slightly deeper tan he had, but the 2014!Dean looked edgier.

While the difference between the two Deans was subtle in appearance, it was quite obvious viscerally. The 2014!Dean was understandably hardened by all these years fighting a loosing battle. He could shoot to kill a comrade he just shared a beer with without batting an eye; he took up torture without a trace of remorse; he unhesitatingly used his friends as cannon fodder; this future!Dean was hardcore to say the least. "Something is broken in you." Dean told his future self. That was the best summation of what happened to him. But before one can judge this 2014!Dean too harshly (his old self called him a dick, a great moment if I may say so), let's not forget the circumstance he was in. What is so terrifying about Apocalypse after all? I think it's a little more than the raze of the infrastructure, and the loss of the loved ones. It's the disintegration of civilized conducts, of humanistic values. To borrow the terminology from my favorite character Lee Adama from Battlestar Galactica, what we have here post Apocalypse are groups of gangs replacing the civilization, and the future!Dean is the "fearless leader" of one of them. So yes, maybe we didn't get to see more terrifying zombies, or adrenaline pumping action sequences, but this post Apocalyptic future wasn't any less bleak by the glimpse of what happened to the main protagonists.

A review of this episode would not be complete if it doesn't mention Castiel. When he was shown with his female groupies, I was sure I'm not the only one who saw Battlestar Galactica before recalled Baltar and his little harem. The Buddha idol in the background was easy to spot, if not ironic considering who, or rather what Castiel is. The years have not been kind to the Angel. The Cas we saw here completely lost his religion, and therefore his bearing. Comedic value aside, there's such sadness clinging to the 2014!Cas.

But I sidetrack. Speaking of sad, none other is more desolate than Dean himself here. When he realized the last conversation he and Sam had were their early morning phone call 5 years ago, the horror that was evident on Dean's face, mirrored by the regret let out by his future self were heartbreaking. Then there was the way Dean sees himself: the 2009!Dean was disturbed by his future self's nonchalant way of taking up torture, even if the victim was a demon. Among many facets of Dean, he is a principled man. Thus it was his biggest shame when he broke and started torturing souls in Hell. Realizing he would break again in the future must have been a nightmare come true for Dean. Consequently, the 2014!Dean called his younger self arrogant for refusing to become the Michael Sword. Knowing the propensity Dean has for blaming himself for everything, I could only imagine the anguish the future!Dean must have felt for letting the Apocalypse to continue. Sure enough, the desperate plea he made to his old self to accept Michael was gut wrenching. Yet, tarnished and broken, Dean was still the same man deep down. Therefore he knew his old self would not do it. The empty look in the future Dean's eyes when he said that showed how despondent he really was.

The last sliver of hope Dean had was to kill Lucifer with the Colt. Even that would be a double edged victory because the 2009!Dean learned the grievous news that the Devil he's after was really Sam. We weren't told why Sam said yes to Lucifer. It sure makes good material for fanfictions. Personally my shipper heart says he did it to save Dean. After all, Lucifer did warn Sam in Free to Be You and Me that refusing his destiny would only lead to the death of the one closest to him. It also makes good speculation whether or not the Colt can kill Lucifer. We know Dean's last ditch effort failed here. What we don't know is how. Was Lucifer too powerful for the Colt, or was it because Dean couldn't do the deed in the end despite everything. Either way, Lucifer ended up breaking 2014!Dean's neck, and the Colt was no where in sight.

The confrontation between the 2009!Dean and Lucifer was the slashiest moment I've seen on Supernatural. From the way Lucifer reaching out to touch Dean on the shoulder, to the symbolic red roses strategically placed between them, and the softly spoken promise "We'll meet again soon," the scene had a strong romantic undertone if you ask me. I'm quite amused by the white suit Lucifer wore in the scene. Whether or not it looked good depends on personal taste (I thought it looked smashing on Jared), what I realize is the curse of the white dresses doesn't limit to the female characters on the show. Now Sam too was possessed by the Devil while wearing the same colored clothes! Normally white represents purity and innocence. It's interesting here that there's a twist of sin and malignance added to what should have been immaculate.

I thought Jared's delivery of Lucifer's speech was outstanding. He made the Devil appear sincere and earnest, and dangerously charismatic too. The chilling menace and arrogance lurked palpably under his compelling exterior. Jensen's depiction of Dean's response to Lucifer's monologue was quite impressive as well. Dean was defiant and vulnerable at the same time. He called bullshit on the "Sympathy for the Devil" spiel. Dean saw Lucifer clearly for what he is: a supernatural creature with an over sized ego. But cheeky bravery aside, the glistening tear belied Dean was heartbroken here. Try as he may, he could not easily dismiss Lucifer's claim that this is where they would end up in five years. Dean knew the truth behind Lucifer's prediction that he would not say yes to Michael, and he would not kill Sam. The question left is would his ornery stance really condemn the people he tried to save all his life to Hell on Earth? It's a scary thought when Lucifer deemed it unnecessary to kill the 2009!Dean because he was certain no matter what Dean would have done, this outcome is what they would get.

So is this future for real? Is it a concoction of Zachariah? I'm inclined to believe the pesky Angel really did thrown Dean into the future, because I think like Lucifer, he couldn't tell a direct lie either. But is the future set in the stone? Dean, as a person who doesn't quite believe in fate, didn't think so. That's why he stayed true to himself and said no to Michael once again. I love it when Dean's cockiness shows up again. Here's a thought: had the request coming from Angels like Castiel or Anna, I think Dean might be more likely to agree being Michael's vessel. But Dean doesn't trust Zachariah as far as he could throw him. Where he's concerned, Michael is just like Uriel, Zachariah, Raphael, or worse, Lucifer. In other words, another supernatural creature he should dispel all together. The intriguing question is what would Michael turn out to be?

The lesson Zachariah wished to teach Dean didn't come to pass. But Dean took away from the ordeal precisely what he should have learned. He realized the love he and Sam shared is their weakness and strength. They are each other's reason to keep fighting the tough fight, to stay grounded. Bless his heart! Who says the boy is not bright enough should seriously re-evaluate.

I'm not ashamed to admit tears were running down my face when the boys had their reunion. It was every bit the bittersweetness I had been hoping for. I maybe the only one out here who's glad the writer refrained from making the boys hug. Not only do I not wish to unman them too much, I also don't think everything between them is resolved to its perfection here. Whatever trouble still lurks between the boys, one thing is for sure though: when Dean handed Sam Ruby's demon slaying knife, the boys reached an important milestone in rebuilding their relationship. I noticed Sam's uncomfortable flinch when Dean pulled out that knife. It was as if he was unpleasantly reminded his past association with Ruby. But when Dean passed the knife back to Sam, it was his way of saying all that was forgiven. Dean wanted to take their fate into their own hands. But can they really do that? The last shot on Dean's face captured a slight worrying look. And that's the beauty of the character -- he maybe unsure of the outcome, but he would never give up before the fight is over.

Alas, this post ran way longer than I intended. I seriously need to work on my wordiness. I originally wanted to include my screencaps here, but seeing the length of this thing, I'll make a separate post for that instead. Before I finish however, I want to quote some of the things Cynthia said in her review at SFUniverse. In particular, I was fascinated by what she said in regard to the technical aspect of the episode:

The special effects – I’m fascinated by how they did the double Deans. In the past, it would have been a split screen but this looked more like a greenscreen digital kind of thing. The small moment that killed me was when future dean put two glasses on the table one further from his hand, one closer. In an old split screen, he’d have to grab the closer one because that would be the only one actually there in his frame. But he reaches across and grabs the further glass with past Dean reaching across the midline to get the glass on furthest from him. As I understand split screens, you can’t cross the midline because you’d be reaching into a spot on the film that will be cut away when you film the reverse. Probably making a bigger deal out of it than it was but I just spent hours reviewing the Patty Duke Show which is all split screen so it caught my eye.

Comments

Re: Rose - That's how I see it at least. The roses felt deliberately put in the scene. If you look at the palette of the episode, it mostly consists the same darkish mute colors that are prevalent in the show. The vibrant redness of the roses was an oddity here, and jumped right out at me. Also its placement is interesting. It's sort of "right there", not as a background, but rather a part of the scene. In some of the shots, it smacks right in between Dean and Lucifer. And then there's the timing where Lucifer touches a rose when Dean asks him "What is that you want?" Of course, my quirky mind went Hmmmm... ;-)

Yeah, Jensen's acting is stunning. I can't believe he is actually engaging himself bantering, pleading through a good portion of the episode.

Um, I don't know much about nuclear weapons (heck, any weapons for that matter). As I understand it, neutron bombs are less destructive on infrastructures than other nuclear bombs such as A-bombs and H-bombs. But even that are more destructive than conventional bombs, I think. In BSG pilot, we did see Baltar's house shattered from the bomb explosion. Gosh, all this talk is giving me chills. I'm a scaredycat for sure.

Yes, yes! I love Zachariah's reaction too. Thanks for reminding me. Kurt Fuller is quite awesome. You can tell Zachariah was totally expecting Dean to say yes. He never even considered Dean would say naah! For a well trained soldier, Dean has such a rebellious streak. =)

**In fact, this is an episode where everyone stepped up to the plate**

So say we all!!!!

**not because he was still mad at his brother or his feeling remained hurt**

This!!! I've read on other boards where posters were complaining that Dean was a jerk and being mean to Sam. I saw what you said-- he wasn't mad, he's just tired. I'm sure he wasn't surprised by the revelation that Sam is suppose to be Lucifer's vessel--with everything they've dealt with, probably nothing would surprise him anymore.

**The dirty and beat-up Impala Dean saw at the entrance of Camp Citiqua is a foreshadow to how tarnished and broken Dean was in the future**

I love this imagery!

**there was little physical change to Dean**

See, I saw a difference right off the bat. Yeah, he still had the same haircut and (yummy!) scruffiness, but Dean14's face looked different to me--it looked thinner, harder. His eyes were colder. His body even looked thinner to me. I don't know if Jensen as Dean14 wore less layers? His voice was even lower--everything about him showed how hard the last 5 years had been on him. Kudos to Jensen for what he did with this episode!

I was so glad that Dean didn't fall for Lucifer's line! But when Dean14 told Dean09 to say "yes," it sounded so much like what Zach's been saying that I couldn't help but wonder if Zach was making all this up--which could be why we don't know what made Sam say "yes." It doesn't matter--Zach was hitting Dean where it would hurt the most, telling him if he doesn't say yes, then Sam will. Of course, it could also be one possible future, because nothing is set in stone where the future is concerned (I think so, anyways).

Gods! You have no idea how the "sound" of these words still makes me feel. ♥ BSG gave me so much heartache and frustration I'm yet to recover from. That should teach me a lesson for taking a television show so much to heart, shouldn't it? \o/

I've read on other boards where posters were complaining that Dean was a jerk and being mean to Sam.

Sometimes I don't understand some people's urge to baby Sam. Yes, he was the youngest of the Winchesters. But he's quite a grown man by now, and has been through too much to wallow in pettiness. In that sense, I expect him to be mature enough to hear and understand what Dean was saying. And Dean had a valid motivation here. To be honest, even at the conclusion of this episode, I'm not entirely sure Dean was wrong at being afraid "they", the ubiquitous bad guys, would use the love the boys shared to destroy them. Their love *is* their weakness, but it is also their *strength*, a double edged sword once again.

Yeah, he still had the same haircut and (yummy!) scruffiness, but Dean14's face looked different to me--it looked thinner, harder. His eyes were colder. His body even looked thinner to me.

Oh I saw these differences too! That's what I meant by 2014!Dean seemed edgier (translates to leaner and meaner) to me. But the changes are subtle. I think lanye67 was talking about longer hair (a la Alec from Dark Angel), or sporting a cut here or there? After all, Dean's been fighting a gorilla war all these years, how would he have the time to get a haircut? ;)

But aesthetic value aside, I actually like it that there are little outward differences between the Deans. Because Jensen and the writer were so good at delineating the two versions, making them so unlike each other, the visual similarity became a reminder that they are really the same person deep down. A little backward, isn't it?

But when Dean14 told Dean09 to say "yes," it sounded so much like what Zach's been saying that I couldn't help but wonder if Zach was making all this up...

I see what you are saying. The thing is not everything Zachariah has been saying is invalid. The scary part is he might even have a point. I think the future Dean took a lot upon himself with how the world turned out. That's why he's pleading with himself. But then he also knew he would make the same decision again, given the chance.

You're not the only one who thought that a hug was not necessary. I mean, they hugged in 4.01 and see what it brought them! ( Not because of the hug of course but you know what I mean ). I was actually disappointed that Dean didn't hug Castiel when the latter zapped him away from Zachariah. Hmmm, I wonder how long Dean can't poop this time ;P

Yes to what you said about the rose. And also, I'm thinking they wanted to give it a Garden of Eden feel, or something like that.

And yeah, I remember that bit about the glass thing ( as mentioned by Cynthia ) and I remember being impressed at that bit of detail but not knowing why!

Well this just proves what a brilliant actor Jensen is, I totally did not expect it to turn out that great having a Dean on Dean, but it left me speechless in so many ways. The calmness of the Lucifer Sam scenario was strange, I agree no hugs necessary here, an embrace would be out of place Hee! love how that rhymed. This ep went to unexpected levels, Croatoan is one of my faves, future Dean had that same cocky hot attitude.

Me too! I was nervous how this would turn out. One person acting two roles is hard enough. From the synopsis, it sounded Jensen has to act against himself, which turned out he did exactly that and more!

And I couldn't agree with you more that this ep went to unexpected levels!

Perhaps there is a competition between the writers, who writes the best will get Jensen or Jared the Impala.

:D

But *sighs*

This is a very deep and insightful stuff, dear. I can't write something like this to save my life. And I like what you wrote about their absence of hugging. Yeah. There is just still too many things to resolve between the boys imho that it would be too early and even would cheapen the moment had they hugged.

Personally my shipper heart says he did it to save Dean.

Honestly I never thought that. I kept thinking that it was because Sam thought there was no use of him living without Dean. But your idea here is amazing.

I really want to say more but even to comment I am speechless by this awesome review. This episode is just too perfect. Subtle but amazing. And Jensen was born to be Dean. He is Dean.

Perhaps there is a competition between the writers, who writes the best will get Jensen or Jared the Impala.

\o/Hmmm, didn't Jensen say Ben thinks he own Dean while Sera thinks she own Sam?Haha, what you said. You gave me a mental image of Eric spreading his arms protectively over the Impala saying: "It's mine!" Meanwhile Jared throws his arm around Jensen crying: "Hands off!"

By the way, thank you for your kind words. <333 IDK, I think you write much better actually, which reminds me -- what's happening with "Dark Rose"? *poke you*

Glad you agree with me in regard to the hug. :D

I kept thinking that it was because Sam thought there was no use of him living without Dean.

That's a thought too. In fact, it seems to me that's what Dean thinks happened. That's why he made the decision of going back to Sam. But I have a tendency to think Sam as stronger. That's why I often like it best when he's in a protective mode (both canon and fanon).

Jensen is incredible. I knew he's really good at what he does, but he manages to impress me even more.

Hee, the red roses! Looks like I made a slight mistake earlier: it was actually SamLucifer who echos "What do I want?" when he caresses the rose. Now, if that's not suggestive I don't know what is. ;) Then like I mentioned in my earlier comment, in some shots, that rose bush smacked right in the middle of Lucifer and Dean. Unlike other objects in that garden, the roses felt like a part of the scene rather than a mere background setting. And speaking of the garden, I also thought it odd it had no other flowers except those roses.

I'm not a religious person, never attended Sunday schools, and I don't know too many bible stories. Much of those I learned from looking through Renaissance art (of which I love). Also I'm not sure how faithful Kripke is going to stick to the Old Testament when developing his characters. But I was curious about Michael and I did a little reading about him online. These couple of things caught my eye: Michael is 1) a Hebrew name meaning "Who is like God?" and 2) in his fight with Samael(Lucifer), Samael wished to bring Michael down with him in his fall, and took hold Michael's wings. It was only by the grace of God that Michael was saved. Anyway, I don't know how Michael is going to fit in the story arc yet.

Heh, I want to know the exact meaning of the red roses too. *pointing to the above comment I made to your sis*

And I completely agree with you THAT FLOWER WAS NOT THERE WITHOUT SPECIAL PURPOSE. *g*

Holy Blonde Cheerleaders, Batman! Thanks for providing me the link. That LJ user is detail oriented! I actually can see months passed while the boys were on their own. But the important thing is they are together now. ;)

I think this episode just knocked off (or at least amongst) "What Is and What Should Never Be" and "In My Time of Dying" to be my all time favorite episode(s).

Dean is incapable of not looking good. *wink* Actually, I'm glad they didn't make Dean's outward appearance differ too drastically. Like what I said in my comment above to Mick, I think the writer (Edlund) and Jensen had differentiated the two Deans so much that they feel like two people at a cursory glance. The close resemblance served to remind me they are actually the "two sides of the same coin": one still carries a hopeful optimism while the other is ravaged by the circumstance into a seasoned resistance leader. However hardened he is though, that younger, idealistic version is still a part of him, therefore the same person.

Jensen's tear gets me every time too, even before it falls down his cheek, when his eyes are shining with barely held tears. I'll say it one more time (and suspect it may not be the last), I never thought a man can look beautiful when he cries. No wonder everyone loves to hurt the poor guy in fanfictions.

Dean is never too stubborn to admit when he's got things wrong and when he follows his heart he finds the right path in the end.

Well said. This is very true. And I hope that path will turn out the right one as I believe it would. <333

Looking at the path Sam undertook, it seems a bit unfair that when Sam followed his heart/instinct, often time he ended up on the wrong path. Heading off to Stanford, leaving Dean to look for John in California, choosing to follow Ruby in his quest to kill Lilith... They all had unpleasant consequences. The only difference I can see is Dean's heart/instinct lies with Sam, whereas Sam's heart/instinct has a lot to do with self fulfillment/improvement/discovery.

Heee, I need to read your reviews. Two of them! I have them bookmarked already. I wish I can buy time. But then again I probably would run out of money a lot quicker. O_o